


Caim for Sherlock

by aderyn



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Poetry, pre-The Reichenbach Fall angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-15
Updated: 2012-01-15
Packaged: 2017-10-29 13:48:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 85
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/320583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aderyn/pseuds/aderyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock could use some protection against all the things that might kill him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caim for Sherlock

**Author's Note:**

> The caim is a Celtic protective invocation accompanied by the physical description of a circle with the hands--the repetitive circular movement and words were intended as a kind of spiritual shield against all kinds of danger. I messed with the form a bit: See notes at the end for a sample.
> 
> Though he'd utterly disdain the idea(except maybe for the suggestion that a caim could build a mind fortress rather than a mind palace?), I thought that considering what’s coming up Sherlock (and all who love him) could use one of these!

**Caim for Sherlock**

 

No washer at the ford for you,

No monster on the moor,

No wars in pools and bitter pills,

No whips, no tracks, no wolves in suits,

No sleeplessness, no nicotine,

In high places no gravity.

 

Encircling you are the streets,

And the friends you don’t have,

And the colleagues,

And the criminals.

Encircling you are the elements,

The solvents and the slides.

Encircling you are the dead,

Your books and your bow,

The seventeen steps,

And the heart of your blogger.

**Author's Note:**

> *The washer at the ford is Gaelic banshee figure who appears at streams washing the blood from the shirts of men about to die in battle.
> 
> Sample caim stanza (no author):
> 
> "The encircling of quiet Brigit,  
> The encircling of noble Mary,  
> The encircling of Michael the warrior  
> About me shielding, about me helping."


End file.
